BISD workman's comp claim denied for employee on leave

Published 1:25 pm, Saturday, March 1, 2014

Following denial of a workman's compensation claim, the Beaumont school district could be liable for the entire cost of an employee's paid assault leave.

A workman's compensation claim filed by BISD for Jessie Haynes based on injuries she claimed she suffered in an incident involving a board member was denied, said board member Tom Neild.

He did not know the basis of the claim's denial by the Texas Department of Insurance.

Haynes, special assistant to the superintendent, has been on paid leave since August, when she claimed she was assaulted by board member Mike Neil as she tried to block him from a doorway. She is set for trial in May on a charge of obstructing a public passageway.

Neild said the district should have filed the claim immediately after the incident, but waited several months.

He said he did not know whether this was why the claim was denied.

Depending on the outcome of her trial, Haynes could be liable to repay the salary she's drawn since she was placed on leave, but the district would have to pursue repayment.

Haynes requested and was granted assault leave Aug. 2, and since then has drawn about half her annual salary of $101,600.